We Have No Idea How Much It Will Cost to Do Whatever We’re Doing to Syria Right Now

Today, before military strikes
began on Syria, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was asked
how much the administration was expecting military operations
against ISIS were going to cost. They have no idea. Not even an
estimate.
From The Hill:

“I don’t have an estimate on that,” Earnest said. “I know that
we’re interested in having an open dialogue with Congress to ensure
that our military has the resources necessary to carry out the
mission that the president has laid out.”

So far, the administration has relied on the Overseas
Contingency Operations budget to pay for operations against the
terrorist group. The White House had previously requested a cut in
that pool — from $85 billion to $58.6 billion — for the next fiscal
year, but lawmakers decided instead to keep funding at current
levels in the temporary budget measure passed last week.

The White House also indicated it would seek funding for the
effort against ISIS from international partners. So far, more than
40 countries have said they would support a coalition effort
against the terror network.

As we’ve all experienced, “having an open dialogue with
Congress” means the administration will complain bitterly about
even the slightest effort to restrain whatever it wants to do.

As a possible benchmark, a Pentagon spokesperson says current
military operations in Iraq—air strikes, security, and surveillance
flights—cost about $7.5 million per day, according to The
Hill.

Update: A reminder from the ISIS debate last
week. Congress authorized $500 million to train 5,000 Syrian rebels
over the next year.